


Gone

by maymayb



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 22:22:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1834306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maymayb/pseuds/maymayb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something precious was taken from Bulma, and to get it back she will have to turn to the very man that betrayed her years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gone

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to Archive of Our Own.... Like so new, I have no effing clue what I'm doing. I've been a user of FanFiction.net for years. So if you see anything wrong, please let me know, and I'll fix the issue. Thanks!

This fic is fast paced, and I didn’t really think I’d be posting it, since I was just using this to get my fiction mojo back, but I quickly got excited about it and so here we are….

I would like to thank SpringAndBySummerFall, who is also coming back from a break from fan fiction and the world of B/V (go read Legless). She’s been ever so patient with me, giving me ideas, telling me what would work, and what wouldn’t. And she’s been ubber understanding when I’ve sent four emails in a row, freaking out and being impatient. So, again, muy thanks.

For those who don’t know, I’m the co-owner of the We’re Just Saiyan community. It a google+ spot dedicated to Bulma and Vegeta fanfiction and we also do a live video pod cast on youtube. Check us out =)

Warnings: Some bad language, but not that much.

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Her nerves were shot.

The past twenty four hours felt as if it had aged her a good ten years and she was surprised her head of long blue hair hadn't turned grey.

All of her contacts were of no help to her. They all outright refused to help her, actually. They weren't going to help her, not even if she had all of the money in the universe, which meant she had to turn to the only person that was crazy enough and strong enough to help her...That is, if he agreed to it.

She hadn't seen said crazy man for six years, and they hadn't parted in the best way. There was a lot of yelling, screaming, and tears, and a fair share of broken furniture. Nothing could make her come back to him…she had sworn it, even screamed it in his face. And he had said the same...But now, she had no choice.

The mere thought of being in the same room made her knees wobble and her heart flutter with heavy anticipation, and her brow covered in a sheen of sweat.

Bulma Briefs was no chicken, but her feet just wouldn't move towards the bar across the street. It wasn't him she was afraid of. It was his answer that made her hesitate. If he said no, then she would have to do this all alone, and the odds of her doing it just by herself weren't in her favor. Well, not exactly alone. She had someone else, but just the two of them wouldn't cut it…she needed him.

She flipped her long pony tail off of her shoulders, popped the collar of her fitted leather motorcycle jacket and made herself move forward and cross the street. She walked through the bar's double doors and was surprised to see that, even though it was mid-afternoon, the bar was surprisingly full...and the looks of contempt she was receiving from the patrons told her she wasn't quite welcome. It wasn't like she wasn't used to getting these kinds of looks, especially when surrounded by Saiyans and other warrior types. It wasn't that she was despised; she was feared. And usually wherever Bulma went, destruction followed.

She had a reputation.

Ignoring the turning heads and whispers she continued through the main part of the bar and down a hallway that dead ended with a closed door.

She took a deep breath and knocked.

A slit in the door opened with a loud snap, and two dark eyes appeared.

"I'm here to speak with him." Bulma announced to the pair of eyes staring back at her.

There was a long pause as the person behind the door studied her. "Is that right?" A female voice responded. "And what makes you think he'll see you. Not just anybody can come in here to see him."

Bulma cocked her hip to the side and put her hand on it. "Oh?" She chuckled mockingly. "Just tell him the Blue Bitch is here."

The eyes of the woman squinted at her and then slammed the slit shut loudly, making Bulma jump.

It took a total of eighty seconds for the door to open. A tall, leggy Saiyan woman, dressed in military garb, held the door open for her. "He'll see you," she said, disgruntled. Her dark eyes scanned Bulma from head to toe, sizing her up.

Bulma gave her a gleaming smile and entered the room. It was large, and all available wall space was filled with star and terrain maps, some with paper stapled to the corner of them with scribbled notes. A familiar map of Earth was hung up on one wall and a large knife was imbedded in it… and after looking at it a little longer, she saw that the handle of the knife was protruding from her hometown.

Apparently he was holding a grudge too.

"This way." The woman snapped her fingers at her and showed her the way to another room, opening the door on a small, dark space, save for the soft light of the setting suns shining through the windows. As soon as she entered, the woman left and closed the door behind her, leaving her alone. She awkwardly took a few steps into the room, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. Her hands instinctively going up to the hilt of her sword that rested on her back in a thick black sheath.

"So. The Blue Bitch is back, hmm?"

Bulma furrowed her brows and took another look at the small room, the grip on her sword tightening at the sound of the deep, gravely voice she hadn't heard in six years. She scanned the room again and noticed a familiar figure standing in the shadows.

"Yup." She moved towards him.

"Hmph. I always knew you'd come crawling back to me." The figure moved towards her, slowly moving into the light. He was visibly older, more mature. Not the young man she had left. She hated to admit it, but his thirties made him look even sexier. The tall, Saiyan male stood stick straight with his arms crossed tightly across his broad chest. His ever present smirk was on his lips, making her want to slap it right off his smug, Saiyan face. His brow rose when he saw that she was still gripping her weapon.

"Have you come to kill me, human?" He sneered.

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, finally letting go of the leather grip. "I don't have time for bullshit, Vegeta."

He cocked his eyebrow at her. "And you think I have time for you?"

Bulma grit her teeth and took a deep breath. She needed to keep a level head at the moment. Playing into his banter wasn't going to help her. She nervously bit her lip and tried to keep herself from freaking out; what she was about to say made her skin crawl. "I…I..." She grit her teeth. This was much harder than she thought.

"Well? Out with it!" He snapped impatiently.

She blew air out of her pursed lips and tried again. "I need your help."

Vegeta's face turned from annoyed to thoroughly amused. He smiled, and then his head tilt back as he laughed. His gravely, baritone laugh vibrated off the walls, making Bulma cringe, and glare at him.

"You…," he laughed, "you need my help? Oh, man. Now that is rich." His chuckles died down, and just as fast as he broke out into hysterical laughter, he turned deadly serious. "What makes you think I would even lift a finger to help the likes of you." His lips twisted into a disgusted sneer. "Especially the way you left me."

He walked over to a large, beautifully hand carved stone desk. It had the Cold crest engraved into it and the designs on the stone were beautiful. An obvious treasure Vegeta took from the late tyrant of the PTO. He sat down and turned his chair away from her, so he was looking out the window, showing her his profile.

"Do you think I want to be here, Vegeta?" She paused, but didn't wait for a response. "Trust me, I don't. I tried other sources before I resorted to coming here." She fished something out of the side pocket of her cargo pants and clutched it to her heart. "You know damn well I wouldn't be here unless I was desperate, and I am more than desperate."

His brow went up and he looked at her sideways. "Desperation doesn't look good on you, Woman."

She chuckled, agreeing with him. "Tell me about it." She sighed. "Will you just hear me out?"

Another smirk slid across his lips and he slowly turned to face her. "You know what is going through my head, right now?" He sat forward, grasping the table in front of him as he stood up from his chair. "The memory of a blue haired bitch. One that I used to call my mate, cursing my name, telling me that she never wanted to see my 'ugly mug' ever again, and who then sealed the deal by throwing an unopened bottle of wine at my head."

Bulma bit her lip. Yup, that sounded about right, and although he deserved every word and the bottle of wine to the head, she wasn't quite in her right mind at that moment in time. But it was what he had said to her before she'd thrown the bottle at his head that truly sealed the deal, as he so eloquently put it. It had broken her heart and she was never really able to put the pieces back together.

"Don't act so innocent. You said and did your fair share, Vegeta. If memory serves, you started it." She glared at him. "Don't you ever forget that Vegeta. You aren't the only victim here." Her nostrils flared as she spoke. Anger from all those years ago started to flood her mind and she quickly stamped them back down to where she kept them at bay.

The two of them glared at each other, but Bulma surrendered the staring battle, having more pressing issues at hand. "I need help retrieving somebody off of the Reitoko."

He snorted. "The Reitoko? Coolers flag ship? Now why in the blue hells would I risk going to the last place I should be, for you?"

The words were there, but for the life of her, Bulma just couldn't spit them out. It was much too hard, especially in front of Vegeta.

Her silence seemingly annoyed him. "Well?"

"I'll pay you."

He sneered. "I have money. And power. There's nothing you can offer to me that will make me go on a suicide mission, with you." He glared at her, studying her face, and then waved his hand at her in dismissively. "I've got better shit to do than listen to weak minded bitch like you. Get out."

Bulma's eyes widened. It was almost the same thing he had told her six years ago. Rage filled her body and before she knew it she stalked to his desk and pounded her fists onto the stone. He barely reacted to her outburst. "Listen here, you ape. I didn't come here for you to treat me like shit-"

"You obviously did. You knew damn well what my answer would be. You really should have saved yourself the trouble and the embarrassment. You said it yourself you silly wench; I am your last resort!" He pounded the desk like Bulma had and leaned up against it so they were eye to eye.

Her eye twitched. There was no other choice, she had to tell him the whole truth. She slammed the object she had fished out of her pocket just moments before and shoved it towards him. "That's why!" She screamed, pointing at it.

Vegeta slowly took his glare off of the fuming blue haired woman and brought it to the tattered, wallet sized picture of a young, lavender haired boy. He couldn't have been more than four years old, and he was smiling at the camera and throwing up a peace sign, something the woman had a habit of doing when her photo was taken. He didn't recognize the brat, but there was something familiar about his eyes. He flicked it away from him. "Am I supposed to know who that is?" He scoffed.

Tears where starting to spring to the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "He's your son." She grit out, trying to speak past the lump in her throat.

His eyes went wide for a moment and then snorted in disbelief. "Nice try. This is a cheap way to get me to help, Bulma. This is low, even for you."

She looked down at the ground, giving herself a moment to collect herself, and then looked up at him. "Fine. I'll just go get him myself. Just like every other thing I've done for him. By. My. Self." She glowered at him one. "Thanks for nothing, Vegeta. Have a nice life." She turned on her heel and exited the room, ignoring the questionable look the female in the larger room gave her as she stomped passed, and exited the bar.

Vegeta waited until he was sure she wasn't coming back before he picked the crumpled picture off of the floor. He studied the photo, especially the boy's eyes. They were bright blue, just like Bulma's, but they weren't hers. They looked like...his. The boys other features, save for the lavender hair, was very much like his… as a matter of fact, if you ignored his coloring, he was a spitting image of himself when he was a young boy.

He looked away, his eyes going towards the open window. Memories of things he had locked away into the deepest depths of his memory banks started to bubble their way to the surface. These dark memories hadn't been entertained for years…ever since he had taken Frieza out and reclaimed his tortured life.

If the woman was telling the truth about this boy, there was no way in hell he'd let his son go through what he had to at that age.

But, on the other hand, Bulma was smart…too smart for her own good. She hatched plans for he and his armies that contributed to the downfall of the Cold's. He wouldn't put it past her to make up such an elaborate story just to lure him into a trap.

He tapped his fingers on his desk, deliberating his next move.

He inspected the picture again, this time trying to find any irregularities in it, making sure it wasn't a fake or generated. Vegeta had a keen eye, and could usually pick out something that wasn't right…but he couldn't find anything askew with the photo. It was weathered, most likely a photo the woman had kept on her person at all times and somewhat faded from all the handling it had gone through in the past years.

He closed his eyes and wracked his brain.

If it were a trap, then what would the reason behind said trap be? Bulma hadn't contacted him in six years. Why now?

Shaking his head, not able to come up with a reason as to why this whole thing was a charade, he conceded that Bulma was most likely telling the truth. Or at least she thought she was telling the truth when it came to her believing the lavender haired brat was his.

And since the bait had been dangled, he had to find out for himself if the boy was, in fact, his or not.

"Cena!" He bellowed.

The woman who had let Bulma in earlier hurried to the entrance of Vegeta's room. "Yes, Prince." She bowed her head then looked at him expectantly.

"I'm leaving, keep the coms open. Back up may be needed."  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She waited until she was at least a block away from the bar until she ducked into an ally and doubled over, grasping her bent knees and trying to stop from hyperventilating. She ran a shaky hand down her pony tail and made herself stand up straight and take a deep breath.

She should have known it would have gone down like that. Some things just don't change. But, stupidly, she had wished he would have accepted her plea with open arms.

"HA!" The felicitous outburst echoed throughout the ally way. "Nothing's ever easy…" She whispered to herself. She took another moment to collect herself and then headed towards her docked ship.

She was greeted by her friend as she approached the battle worn ship that had been her home for the past six years.

"I take it he said no." Zarbon deadpanned as he walked down the ramp to meet her.

She sighed heavily and shook her head, defeated. "What did you expect?" She frowned.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she instinctively rested her head on his muscular shoulder, taking comfort in his presence. He was always there for her, and she didn't know how she would have survived things like this that happened in her life without him.

Zarbon and she were the best of friends. They had gone through a lot together, and if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have met Vegeta and would never have had Trunks. He helped smuggle her out of Frieza's grasp, and the two of them fought on the front lines with the Saiyans to defeat him.

She owed him her life, and he the same. And it was a fact that Vegeta would have probably suspected something between him, if it weren't for Zarbon's obvious sexual preference.

"I know, Princess." He gave her a light squeeze. "I just had a sliver of hope that he'd pull his head out of his arrogant, self centered ass and help rescue his son."

She nodded sullenly and let him lead her up the ramp and into the ship.

"He didn't believe me." She shook her head sullenly. "We will need to refuel before we take off, and we need to come up with our next course of action."

Bulma closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. Her last ditch effort was all for naught. And in her panicked, frazzled state, she hadn't gotten too far in her plans to get her son back. "I..I have no clue what to do next." She looked up at her beautiful friend's face through unshed tears. She felt like everything was out of her control, and it was. "I know that I will be going to the Reitoko, and I will most likely die trying to get my boy back… that's all I know."

Zarbon kept silent as he hugged her closer. He had no words of comfort or silly, smart ass quips like he usually had to get them through in tough situations. When they were left to rot in the Cold Army, they'd feed off of each other. They'd keep sane by poking fun of each other and causing havoc amongst their fellow soldiers. And when Vegeta and she had their explosive falling out, it was he that wouldn't allow her to sink into a deep depression. But this…this was a whole new breed of bad.

So he let his presence comfort her.

"I see some things haven't changed." A rough voice sneered from the entrance of the ship. "She must be real good in bed to make you switch teams…although, if memory serves, she wasn't that impressive in that department."

The two looked over and were stunned to see the Saiyan Prince himself, standing just inside the ship where the hatch of the ship was still open. He stood, stick straight, one hand on his hip and the other gripping a large rucksack slung over his shoulder. :

Zarbon responded quickly, sneering back at him. "For your information I'm between male suitors at the moment. And what about you Vegeta? Still a man whore?"

Vegeta growled at him and Zarbon just snickered. Bulma on the other hand stood where Zarbon had left her, seemingly in shock. "I guess things never change, Aquayan." Vegeta said, accusingly.

Zarbon looked at him, confused, not sure what his comment meant.

"What are you doing here?" Her small voice asked, breaking the staring contest between Saiyan and Aquayan." Zarbon looked at Vegeta expectantly, but Vegeta just frowned at him, and then at Bulma.

"I would like to discuss this alone, without pretty boy eavesdropping." Vegeta fisted his rucksack with so much force, it almost started to tear. Just seeing Zarbon made his blood boil. The turmoil he had caused to his life was unforgivable. But, he kept his cool. It was all about timing…

Zarbon looked to Bulma, who in turn nodded, indicating it was ok to leave her alone with her ex. "Just scream if you need me. I'll go fuel up." He smiled down at her and pinched her cheek, an action of endearment, something he did ever since they'd met. He then sauntered towards Vegeta and winked at him as he passed, which in turn made Vegeta's upper lip curl up in distaste. Zarbon always made it a habit to make Vegeta feel uncomfortable whenever he could, and the only thing that stopped Vegeta from decimating him in the first place was Bulma.

Well, I just may have to beat him to a pulp for what he had done all those years ago, Vegeta thought darkly.

He waited until Zarbon's footsteps faded away, and then tossed his bag to the floor. He crossed his arms and glared at the woman in front of him. "I demand to hear why I was not informed that you were carrying my heir and why you kept that piece of information from me until now. You had to have known when you left me, Bulma." His look was harsh, angry even. And even though they hadn't seen each other in years, she was still able to read his eyes.

He was hurt.

"As a matter of fact, before you spew your vile words to me, look me in the eye, Bulma. Look me in the eye and tell me that he is really mine and you're not just using me to get some other male's son back."

Bulma took a shaky intake of breath and looked him square in the eye, knowing he too could read her like a book. "He is yours Vegeta."

He stared her down and finally after a few moments of silence he nodded curtly and then waited for her to answer his other questions.

She knotted her hands together, her nerves getting the best of her. She wasn't prepared for him to ask these sorts of questions right off the bat. In the past she had thought about the what ifs; What if Vegeta found out about Trunks? What if he asked her the very same questions he was asking now? And she had the answers. She had practice conversations in her head and had planned to tell him why she never went back to him, but she was stubborn and very hurt by the way she and Vegeta parted ways

"I didn't know that I was preg-"

"Stop." He roared and sliced his hand in the air. His face was twisted in disgust. "Stop the bullshit, Bulma."

She averted her eyes to the ground, cursing him and cursing herself. There was no lying to Vegeta. But she didn't have it in her to hash out things from the past, especially things that had left her so very hurt. Seeing him after all these years and under these circumstances had her feeling so helpless and unprepared. "I didn't know-"

"You silly human bitch. You are a liar and don't think for a moment you can spew false truths at me, Bulma. " He growled. "I'm here to retrieve my son, and destroy Cooler. You're lucky I decided it was time to expand my rule, otherwise I wouldn't be here, son or no. Do not speak to me until you decide to tell me the truth." He bent down to grab his bag. "I'm not here for you or fish-boy."

Her shoulders sank downward and she kept her eyes downward as he picked his bag back up and stomped past her towards one of the four rooms that were held in the middle of the ship, leaving Bulma staring at the worn floors of her ship, dejectedly.  
=============================================================================================================  
24 hours earlier.

"Mom, can I pleeeease?"

Bulma looked down at her son and gave him the motherly glare of disapproval.

Trunks retorted by sticking his lower lip out and grasping both hands in front of him, pleadingly. "I promise I won't stop anywhere else but there. Please?"

She rolled her eyes at his attempts. Rarely did she leave him to his own devices on a planet that wasn't one she was absolutely familiar with.

"Mom, seriously." Trunks stopped walking and put his hands on his hips, something he got from her. "I'm part Saiyan. I can bench press more than that guy over there." He pointed to a very large individual who was unloading large, heavy looking bags off of a truck. "I think I can handle myself."

Bulma's brow rose as she contemplated his case. "Trunks, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don-"

"Don't trust everybody else. Yeah, yeah, yeah." He hurumphed and crossed his arms and glared at her…something he inherited from 'he who shall not be named'

"How about we strike a deal."

The boy's lavender brow perked up and his scowl lessened. "I'm listening."

"How about we get the part I need for the ship, and right after we'll go to the treat shop together." She extended her hand to him.

He glared at her hand and looked up at her. "Throw in a soda and a bag of candy, and we've got a deal."

She smirked at him. "You drive a hard bargain… but you have yourself a deal." He grabbed her hand and shook it enthusiastically.

The trip to the parts warehouse was quick. She was able to find the small piece she needed to replace and was able to haggle the owner down to a cheaper price. Mother and son chit chatted about the next planet they were heading to and how Trunks couldn't wait to see Zarbon again. But amid the conversation, Bulma felt uneasy. As if she and her son were being watched.

She looked around discreetly, making sure not to cause attention to herself or have Trunks ask what she was doing. Nothing seemed amiss. People were going about their business, and not acting suspicious. She shook her head. Too many years hanging out with people like Vegeta and Zarbon would make a person this way: suspicious and paranoid of everybody.

They continued down the quiet streets as Bulma thought to herself. It was a time of peace…well, kind of. She hadn't run into trouble for a couple of years now. Most of the Cold Family was gone thanks to Vegeta and herself. The only threat now was Cooler, and he was too busy conquering some galaxy some light years away. Far enough to not cause panic and tension in the solar system Bulma and Trunks were in anyway. She shook the feeling off, again blaming it on her previous life of living in danger and soldiers, and entered the sweet shop.

"Have at it, bud." She winked at him and smiled as he smiled back at her in delight and ran towards the bins full of alien candies. This boy brought so much joy to her life. If it weren't for him, she'd probably be out on some god forsaken planet with Zarbon, still causing trouble, or would she still be with Vegeta? Her mind started to wonder to what could have been and of the past, right before she left the Saiyan Prince, but stopped mid thought. It still pained her to draw up memories of him. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she missed the feisty warrior. He was the love of her life and half the reason why she didn't want to settle down with another.

She chuckled. She had always wished for her Prince Charming. The type of man her mother used to read to her about. Well, she got her wish, but she got more than she bargained for with him.

Their falling out was no picnic either. The two of them were very much the overly emotional type, and when they were angry, especially at each other, all bets were off, hence the breakup. But there had been no closure. And she supposed there would have been closure after a certain amount of time… time heals all wounds, as her mother would say, but this wound never really healed, with her being knocked up and having a daily reminder of him in the form of a half human, half Saiyan boy.

Still…she wouldn't have it any other way.

She watched as Trunks inspected the barrels of candy and smiled at him. He was so much like her and so much like his father. All the good parts of the two of them, she always thought.

One moment she was watching her son pick out candy, smiling happily and the next, she was picking herself up off of the floor amid smoking debris.

She was disoriented, and for a few moments, she was confused as to where she was and why half of the building she was in was now a pile of flaming rubble. She slowly got up and shook her head, trying to shake the dizziness and high pitched ringing in her ears caused by the explosion.

Slowly realization hit her.

"Trunks!" She screamed. She searched everywhere around the collapsed building but was unable to locate him. "Trunks!" She screamed again, desperate to hear him call back to her. She barreled out of the gaping hole where the front door used to be and stopped in the middle of the street, just in time to see her son get carried off by a soldier with very familiar markings on his armor. Trunks was knocked unconscious and there was no way she could get to him. The soldier was too far up in the sky, and she wouldn't dare try to shoot him down, fearing she'd hit her son by mistake.

"TRUNKS!" She screamed in attempt to wake him, but it was no use. He was too far up.

She ran throughout the streets, following the direction the soldier was flying until she lost sight.

When she got to her ship she immediately called Zarbon.

"They've got him!" She screamed into the microphone.

"Got who, Bulma?"

"Trunks! That son of a bitch sent one of his lackeys to take him!" She shrieked.

There was a long pause on the other end of the receiver. "Ok. Let's calm down and think about this." Zarbon finally said, his voice lined with slight panic. "Who took him? Vegeta?"

Bulma shook her head and covered her face with the palms of her hands. "Why would Vegeta take him? He doesn't know he exists! It was Cooler! I recognized the insignia on the creep's armor who took Trunks."

"But Bulma, why would he take Trunks and not you? I mean, like you said; Vegeta doesn't know he exists, why would Cooler…what would he accomplish by kidnaping him?"

"I don't know!" She screamed.

"Ok. Bulma. I want you to hold tight. Let me make some calls to see if anybody has heard anything. Stay close to the comm."

But it was no use. The contacts the two of them could get a hold of didn't have any information they needed. Their options were drying up, except the one. The one she wanted to avoid at all costs…  
============================================================================================================  
They had received a tip from a friend where the Reitoko was last seen and took off once Zarbon fueled up. Bulma programmed the coordinates of the Reitoko in the ships navigational systems and made the ship go as fast as it could. They'd get there in four days, which wasn't at all fast enough for Bulma. Zarbon spent the first day or so trying to get anymore information that would benefit them by calling everybody that he knew that served with he and Bulma in the Cold army.

Bulma holed up on the control deck; she was useless anywhere else. She couldn't concentrate in her mini-lab and anywhere else on the ship had something of Trunks laying about. She nearly lost her mind completely when his limited edition super-hero action figure with kung fu grip she had bought him a few years back was lying on the floor of the corridor between her and his room.

Vegeta trained until he was sure he could leave the make shift gym of the ship without running into his two ship-mates. He crept out into the familiar hallways that had been his home a handful of years ago. The ship wasn't humongous, but it was a decent size that could easily house a ten man crew without making them feel cramped. He, his men, Bulma and Zarbon had called this ship home while the rest of his Saiyan armada followed behind, letting him and his team do recon missions before they attacked.

He missed that life. Yes, it had it's moments, but it was glorious all the same. It definitely sated his Saiyan urges. He and his army of Saiyan's were unstoppable back then. They were a force to be reckoned with, and he was a feared by all… not that he wasn't feared now too, but back when the war was raging, it seemed people cowered just at the word 'Saiyan Prince'. And with Bulma by his side, he felt utterly invincible. She gave him the feeling he could take on anything and everything, the effect she had on him was intoxicating…and then she left. And that's when he had become a whirlwind of crazy.

The memories of the days that followed after Bulma left him involuntarily started to flood his memories and he did all he could to stop thinking about it. He quickened his pace down the halls, making his way to the part of the ship that held the occupants quarters, and slipped into the one that used to be he and Bulma's room. The room was larger than all the others; it was spacious and not at all cramped like some of the other rooms his soldiers had to sleep in.

The room was different. He snorted at the new décor and furniture, wondering when she had made the changes. Probably not long after they parted ways. It was full of bright blues and sea foam greens, the complete opposite of what it was before: black, grey and a touch of red. He could still hear her grousing about the color choices, but she had given up on the color scheme when she told him she'd have full control of their 'real' bedroom when the war was over and they had a home that didn't float in space.

He brazenly went up to her dresser and studied all of the framed pictures that rested atop it. They were of her and the boy, of Zarbon and the numbskull Kakarot, and group shot of ten or so Saiyan Soldiers and her sandwiched in the middle. He remembered that one. It was taken right after they took control of one of Frieza's largest outposts. She begged him to get in the shot, but he refused and watched from behind the camera as the group smiled triumphantly atop a mangled piece of metal that had the Cold Crest engraved on it. He sneered at the photos until his eyes came to the very last photo on her dresser. It was of a very pregnant Bulma. Her hand was resting on top of her belly and a large grin on her face. Vegeta averted his eyes away quickly as emotions that he didn't want to feel started to stir and caught a glimpse of something red and white peaking behind one of the frames. He flicked the frame away and his eyes went wide with shock.

It was a piece of armor with the Saiyan royal crest engraved on it, his armor to be exact. The piece had fallen off of his chest plate during the battle between he and King Cold. He remembered it so clearly as if it had happened just yesterday. After his victory, he swiped the piece of armor off of the floor, thinking the break was a sign of good times to come, since it almost encircled the anchor insignia perfectly. He gave the piece to her that night and the memory of her warm and loving smile upon receiving it never left his memory.

Not wanting to walk further down memory lane, he exited the woman's room and entered the room directly across the way from hers.

As he guessed, it was the boy's room. It was covered in martial arts posters, toys and trinkets and dirty clothes. He took two slow steps further into the room, closed his eyes and took a deep intake of air through his nose, taking in the scents of the room. He let his senses reach out, familiarizing himself with the little one.

The scent was weakening by the second, but he could smell a mixture of Saiyan and Human pheromones. He took another intake of air and deduced that the boy was strong as well. Ki had a distinct odor to the trained nose. It was a skill Vegeta had learned from his father and it had helped him many a-time in battle.

Vegeta closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

What am I doing here? He asked the question to himself for the hundredth time since he stepped foot onto the ship. It was a crazy thing, finding out he had a son. The news of having one was clearly warping his mind. It was true, he didn't want any offspring of his to live the life his younger self had to endure under Frieza's thumb. He surprised himself when he gave it little thought when he left his base at the bar to follow Bulma on this crazy and doomed rescue mission.

He was conflicted.

And angry.

How could she do this to him? How could she keep such a thing from him?

She did it all alone. She gave birth to their son, alone. There were so many unanswered questions and the mere fact that she left him out of such a huge, life changing event saddened him.

He wrinkled his nose when he thought about it. He wasn't one for being emotional, and the fact he was feeling such sadness wasn't boding well with him.  
=============================================================================================================  
They landed four days later on Planet Vero, where the Reitoko was last seen orbiting a few days ago according to Zarbon's informant. The plan was to split up and question the locals around the port town to see what they saw or possibly knew.

Since Vegeta could be spotted in a crowd, especially because of his hair, he opted to wear an old black long coat that had a decent hood on it that he'd use from time to time and had left of the ship the last time he was there. He stuffed his famous mane of spikes under the hood so not to spook people, since he was known pretty much throughout his universe for his temper and knack for leveling towns. Any other time he'd relish in his infamy, getting the warm and fuzzies when people ran the other direction when they saw him coming, but being that time was of the essence, he hid his identity. Bulma too had a reputation, but unlike Vegeta, the aliens of the universe didn't fear Bulma nearly as much as they did Vegeta; that, and people only knew her by name, not by her looks. Sometimes people would suspect because of her unique blue hair, but it didn't cause the overreaction like Vegeta's unruly locks.

Vegeta took off before Bulma could say a word to him, he merely gave her a cold look and blasted off towards the town, leaving she and Zarbon to lock up the ship.

"Well, he's still a grumpy son of a bitch." Zarbon drawled as he tossed a few credits at a boy sitting outside the docking station. "Keep an eye on our rig, Boy. I'll give you double if it's still here when we get back."

The boy nodded back enthusiastically and ran towards their ship to stand guard.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Did you really think he'd be sunshine and rainbows after all these years, especially when he just found out he's a father and his son has been kidnapped by the only living Cold that hates his guts?"

Zarbon chuckled lightly and gave his friend a side hug, giving her an extra squeeze for good measure. "Call me if you need me."

She nodded. "Will do."

He let go of her and jumped up into the air, flying off towards the west side of the town and leaving her to walk into town. She cursed her human inability to fly… if she were able to, she may have been able to stop Trunks from getting taken in the first place.

But now an hour had passed and she was getting nowhere. When she would approach someone they'd hurry away before she could even utter a syllable. It was very odd. She was starting to regret not covering her face or at least her hair like Vegeta had. They must know who she was, why else would they be running the other direction?

She trudged through the thick brown sand into the heart of the town, where an open air market was. She scanned the area, trying to figure out who she should try to ask her questions to. She was getting hot from the two suns that were beating down on her and was starting to hate the planet. It wasn't much to look at; there was just brown sand that was radiating heat through her boots, and small buildings and huts off in the distance that were the same color of the dark sand. There wasn't much color, save for the sky, but even that was a depressing light reddish color. Even the people and what they wore was drab…she felt as if she was in a sepia toned hell. :)

No wonder these people were so disgruntled. They needed some color in their lives…maybe that's why they shied away from her...perhaps her blue hair startled or confused them.

Bulma stood there, studying the people that meandered through out the market place. They were acting…weird. They all seemed morose, troubled even. It wasn't normal.

"Excuse me." Bulma called out politely to a young woman that was passing by her.

The woman looked at Bulma and quickly averted her eyes to the sand, tightening the scarf that was hanging over her head and shoulders. She shook her head and quickened her pace, not giving Bulma the chance to say anything else.

"What the hell." She growled to herself.

"What? The mighty ambassador can't get them to talk?"

Bulma's brows furrowed as she slowly turned to face the owner of the gravely voice behind her. Vegeta gave her a cold, small smirk and crossed his arms, waiting for her to answer.

"No." She ground out curtly and turned around to survey the market place again. "What about you? The all powerful Saiyan Prince couldn't get any information as well?" She smirked when he didn't answer.

"They know something." He said angrily as he stepped from behind her so he was next to her. His eyes shifted from one person to another

Bulma nodded in agreeance. "They are all acting strange." She shook her head.

"I believe I will have to persuade one of them to divulge information." He scanned the area and pinpointed a waif of a woman, one whom he could snap in half with his pinky finger. He smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"No, Vegeta." She hissed, recognizing the look on his face. "No killing."

"You don't get an opinion as to what I do anymore. You'll do well remember that." He spat at her and stalked towards his prey.

Bulma scrambled after him and cursed when he got to the unsuspecting female before she could and ran after him as he swiftly grabbed the woman and carried her by her neck to an allyway, before anyone could tell what had just happened.

"Vegeta!" She hissed.

"Shut up." He growled at her, and turned backed to the struggling woman who was trying desperately to get out of the Saiyan's unyielding hold. "You will tell me what I need to know, and if you don't, I'll start ripping limbs off for each time I have to repeat myself."

The woman's eyes were wide and she was obviously too scared to acknowledge what he had just threatened upon her.

He let go of her and crossed his arms over his chest. "The Reitoko was docked here just forty-eight hours ago. Did any of Cooler's soldiers come here?"

The woman remained silent, all the while looking at him wide eyed and terrified.

"Perhaps she doesn't speak our language." Bulma suggested, hoping to defuse the impending explosion of anger due to her silence.

"Butt out, Human. She understands me just fine." He turned his attention back to the woman and frowned deeply when she continued to stare at him, too scared to utter a word.

Already knowing Vegeta's patience was running thin, Bulma acted quickly. She jumped in front on her, sandwiching herself between she and Vegeta. Which stopped him from assaulting the poor woman.

"Get out of the way!"

"No." She growled and tried so hard not to flinch when his eyes gleamed ferociously under the hood that kept his identity safe. It made him look like the devil incarnate, especially since all she could see was light reflecting from his midnight black eyes and his white teeth glimmering sadistically every time he opened his mouth.

She stood fast, widening her stance and spreading her arms. "Hurting her will not help us get the answers we are looking for! You'll just end up pissing people off and probably get us killed!"

He advanced on her, and grabbed her upper arms, giving her a good shake. "We don't have time for your touchy feely bullshit. The more time we sit in this sand pit the longer the boy is in the hands of that piece of shit lizard."

"And hacking up an innocent will not help find our son!" She screamed in his face.

He shoved his face towards her so that their noses were touching, the two of them growling at each other like wild beasts.

"They took your sons, too?"

The two paused; Bulma slowly turned around and blinked at the woman.

"What did you say?" Vegeta asked.

The woman ignored Vegeta and directed her attention to Bulma, but again, didn't answer.

"Yes. Our son was taken by a soldier of the Cold Army. You said 'sons'. Did they take your sons, too?"

The woman nodded. She looked at Vegeta nervously and then back at Bulma. "They took all of them."

Her brows furrowed at her statement. "All of them? What do you mean?"

"They landed two days ago. They come every so often to refuel and sometimes uses our port as a shore leave destination for the soldiers. So when they landed, we didn't think much of it…but… then…" She took a ragged breath and lowered her eyes to the sandy ground. "They started going from house to house, grabbing all of our sons and killing those who got in their way." She looked up at Bulma, tears streaming down her tanned cheeks. "They took my son. He's only three years old."

Bulma but her hand on her shoulder sympathetically. She knew exactly how she felt: helpless, worried out of her mind and scared.

"Did they say why?" Vegeta's rough voice asked impatiently.

The woman shook her head, finally getting the nerve to look at this hooded figure. "No… But we did manage to injure and capture one of the soldiers. When we saw you land, we assumed you were part of the Cold Army, coming back to retrieve the one who was left behind."

"Feh!" Vegeta spat. "The Cold's come back for nobody."

"Is the soldier still alive?" Bulma asked, hopeful.

The woman nodded yes.

"But you haven't been able to get information out of the bastard, have you?" He growled.

She shook her head. "No, we haven't."

Vegeta chuckled. "I can."

The woman, who's name Bulma learned was Enga, led them deep into the little town, where they met up with two men who Bulma assumed were the elders of the little town. And, they were none too thrilled they were there. But after Enga explained, more than twice, that they weren't soldiers of the Cold Army, nor where they spies, but parents of a kidnapped boy as well, they reluctantly let them into a building that looked to be a temple of some sort. Enga and the men led both of them deep within the building, through winding hallways that went underground and into a decent sized room that looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Dust and cobwebs donned the crumbling bricked walls and rusty shackles hung from the walls.

The injured soldier was chained up against a wall. Dried blood covered half of his face, and through his tattered armor, she could see he had a broken leg. The blood coming from the broken skin where the bone poked through was bleeding sluggishly. He looked to be the same kind of alien Cui was and he wasn't much to look at…

The soldier looked up when he heard the group enter and smirked weakly up at them all.

"Show and tell again, eh?" He slurred. "What, you think I'm going to talk to these two?" He laughed. "You should know you're wasting your time. I'm never going to tell you were your precious spawn are."

Bulma approached the soldier calmly. Instincts and mannerisms she had used on a daily basis, back when she was the "Ambassador of Carnage" for the Saiyan Army, started to kick in.

"Ambassador" was her official job title, but the nickname "Ambassador of Carnage" was what she was more widely known as. She had earned the name after her first mission with Vegeta's army. She had gone in to discuss a peaceful surrender with one of Frieza's command posts and prided herself on being very diplomatic, but when the Captain of the command post called her a vulgar name and tried blasting her, and missed…well, diplomacy went out the window and carnage ensued.

After a while, Vegeta chaperoned her 'peace' missions. At first it was to watch the human in action, since she was all people could talk about. But being a man of action and a fan of violence, they soon started working as a team. It was how their romance started, coincidentally.

"We just want to know where and why Cooler is collecting our children." Bulma asked as she approached the man. She put on a warm smile as she waited patiently for the man to answer her question.

Vegeta stayed back, waiting for his queue. He patiently leaned up against the wall and watched Bulma try to get their questions answered. It almost felt like old times…

"That's all?" The man sneered.

"Yup, that's all." Bulma said sweetly.

He chuckled darkly. "What really makes you think that I will give you any information when I've been locked up here for two days and have been asked over a thousand times the same questions you are asking me now."

"Well, if you don't answer my questions, then I'll have no choice than to turn the job over to that guy over there." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the hooded figure, leaning up against the wall. The soldier cocked his head to look at him, and laughed.

"Laugh all you want, buddy. You really don't want him to be the question asker. He's not as nice as me…or patient. So, looks like you've got a choice. Either answer me or I call him over and things probably won't end well for you. He's none too happy you guys took our son. "

The soldier's right eyebrow rose and his lips pursed as he thought about her ultimatum. He slowly nodded. "Ok, but first you gotta do something for me, Princess."

Bulma's brow rose. "Ok, what's that."

"Go fuck yourself!" He yelled and started laughing when Bulma's face fell. "I'm telling you SHIT!" He screamed.

"I told you. He won't speak." One of the old men said, who was standing close to Vegeta.

Vegeta pushed himself off of the wall. "That's because you ingrates have been asking the wrong questions." He inclined his chin, acknowledging Bulma's look, telling him it was his turn. They wordlessly passed each other, Bulma going to the spot where Vegeta was and leaned up against the wall just as he was doing a moment ago.

The chained soldier scoffed at Vegeta as he approached him.

"Oh, real scary. What's with the hood?"

Vegeta smirked, purposely showing his white teeth. "I'm not at nice as the woman, and I won't be giving you more than one chance to spit out what I need to hear. So, here's your one and only chance." He poked him directly on the Cold Crest that was engraved on the soldiers battered armor. "Where is my son and why is the lizard collecting brats?"

The soldier laughed at him. "Are you stupid? Did you not hear what I said to the female?"

Wordlessly, Vegeta's hand shot out and grabbed the soldiers broken leg, and squeezed, hard.

He yelped and thrashed, trying to get away from his grip, but being chained to the wall was proving difficult for the man.

"How's about you start talking." Vegeta rasped. "The longer you stall and keep the information to yourself, you'll just piss me off further." His grip on the already broken leg tightened, and as predicted, the soldier screamed:

"OK! OK! I'll talk! Just stop!"

Vegeta let go of him and shook his head in disgust. "That's what I thought."

The soldier was panting hard and sweating heavily, and it took him a moment to collect himself. He looked pained, though not from what Vegeta had inflicted, but from breaking down so easily. "We find planets that have male children who show high skill levels."

"Skill levels in what?" Vegeta growled.

"Strength and brains."

"And then what?"

The soldier grit his teeth as he moved his mangled leg away from him. "We take them, dumbass."

He didn't see it coming. Vegeta's hand shot out in the blink of an eye and clutched his neck, squeezing just enough to get his point across.

"Arg…Ok..o..ok" He rasped. "Cooler needed a stronger, better army. He hasn't been able to recruit like he used to. Especially after he loaned half his men to his brother and none of them came back alive. Everybody is afraid to join. So, he's taking them young. Something about grooming the ultimate soldiers."

"What's their next stop?"

"Thorn. Planet Thorn." He spat it out hurriedly, not wanting to be choked again.

Vegeta let go of the soldier and nearly spit at him in disgust and a string of Saiyajin curses flew out of his mouth. "Of fucking course they're going there." He groaned.

"What's on planet Thorn?" The man asked standing closest to Bulma.

Bulma shook her head and sighed. "Thorn is Coolers planet. The terrain is deadly and the atmosphere is even deadlier." She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from falling apart. Things were getting worse by the second. "Does he use the same technique that his brother did? Does he brainwash or torture…" She couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat was constricting with a sob just thinking about her son being tortured the way Vegeta was years ago when he was captured.

She looked up at Vegeta and saw he was staring at her, concern and fear apparent in his eyes at the realization of her question. Vegeta spun around and yanked the soldier to him by his armor until the chains were strained.

"The woman asked you a question." He snarled.

The soldier smirked haughtily. "I think you know the answer to her question." His smirk grew into an ugly smile. "Face it. Your boy is in a world of hurt."

The comment didn't sit well with Vegeta. "Anymore questions, Bulma?" He kept his eyes on his prey, not bothering to turn around to look at her.

"No. I don't."

"Good." He grinned maliciously.

"What?" The soldier asked. "You two are going to get your son back? What makes you think you can get him back from Lord Cooler?"

Vegeta's smirk grew as he drew back his hood, exposing his identity. "Because I'm me." :D He laughed as the soldiers face fell with realization. "And because I killed his brother and father." He took a moment for the soldier to realize just who he was, and waited for his most favorite look on his victims face: realization as to who they were dealing with, and then the look of complete dread, knowing just what they were in for.

The soldier gapped at him, words lost at the sight of the infamous Prince of Saiyans.

"You've served your purpose." He sighed and lifted his hand up. "Your precious leader will be with you soon." He released an energy ball, striking him directly in the chest, leaving a large hole where it went through. He then turned around, not giving the limp body that hung from the chains another glance and walked over to Bulma and the two men who had escorted them down.

The two men were wide eyed, and both Vegeta and Bulma could tell they were spooked, either from Vegeta blowing a hole right through their prisoner or because they recognized who he was, or both.

"You killed him." One of them said, dumbly.

"Yes, I did."

"But…why?" He looked at his counterpart, who seemed too shocked or scared to utter a word.

Vegeta looked at him, confused by the question. "Why? Why not? I'm only surprised you people didn't in the first place."

"But-"

"But nothing!" Vegeta roared. "What were planning on doing? Making him talk by tickling him to death? I got what we needed and put him down. What else were you going to do? Let him go? He would have killed you all the first chance he got. Scum like him don't deserve to live, especially scum associated to a piece of shit child snatcher like Cooler!" He pushed past the two, nearly knocking them both down, and yanked his hood over his head, once again concealing his midnight black, flamed hair.

"Apologies." Bulma said. "We're a little frazzled, I'm sure you all can relate."

The two men nodded. "What are you and your mate's next move?"

Bulma twitched at his assumption but decided not to correct him. She neither had the time nor the strength to explain what their relationship was, nor was it any of their business. "We are going to Thorn. I suggest you do the same."  
============================================================================================================  
After they got back to the ship and explained everything to Zarbon, they blasted off towards Thorn. Unfortunately, Thorn was a long ways away, and according to the navigational computer, it was going to take them over two weeks to get there. Luckily the ship held just enough fuel to get there. The good thing was that they were only forty-eight hours behind them, and if they stayed on schedule, Trunks, and hopefully most of the other children, wouldn't be subjected to any torture or brainwashing on Thorn…that is, if they weren't being tortured on the ship.

"I think I need to take my pod and go recruit reinforcements." Zarbon announced to Bulma, who was sitting across from him, drinking a cup of hot tea.

Vegeta, who was standing as far away from the two as possible eating a sandwich, stopped chewing and glared at the Aquayan.

Bulma shook her head. "Nobody will help us, Zarbon."

"I can persuade a few. Some even owe me." He smiled and stood up.

"You're going to leave me alone…with him?" She heard Vegeta growl, but paid him no attention.

"If I leave now, I'll be able to meet up with you by the time you land." He playfully flipped a lock of hair off of her shoulder and grinned. "I've already prepared my Pod, so I'll be leaving now. I didn't want to make this harder than it had to be." He grimaced when Bulma's face twisted into a pained look.

"I need you." She whispered. "I can't do this without you."

Her friend pulled her into a hug and peeked over to Vegeta, who hadn't moved. He was watching the two intently, but his face gave no indication as to what he was thinking.

"You'll be fine. And in all honesty," he pushed her back to get a good look at her. "You need to do this part alone. You both have some things to talk about, and maybe get some closure you both need, and you can't do that with me hanging about. Use this time to mend your heart."

She rolled her eyes, not wanting to hear what he was saying, but she knew it was true. She and Vegeta needed to hash things out and finally close the door on their relationship and discuss Trunks.

"I hate when you get all smart." She said with a groan and brought him into another hug and then let go of him.

"Don't worry, you'll be just fine, Pussycat." He gave her a toothy smile and then cocked his head towards Vegeta. "Be good to her, or you and I'll have words."

It was Vegeta's turn to roll his eyes at him. "If by words you mean fists, then I'll be happy to accommodate."

Zarbon chuckled, earning him a glare from the grouchy man in the corner. "I'll see you soon."

After Zarbon left, Bulma, not wanting to be alone in the same proximity of Vegeta, retreated to her room. She walked aimlessly around the large area, picking up random things, putting them down and then going to the next object , repeating the process. She didn't know what to do with herself, she didn't want to chance a run in with Vegeta and she couldn't keep herself busy with anything because she was too worried about her son.

She flopped face down on her bed and scrunched her eyes shut. Sleep would do her good. Or, at least, shut her brain off for a while. She snuggled down under the down comforter and covered her head, getting comfortable, making all of the pillows hug her, making her feel secure, almost like she was being held. The room was silent, save for the quiet hum of the ships engines and the soft whirl of the air circulatory system. The lights were turned off, making it almost pitch dark, save for the stars that whizzed by through the port holes in the room.

Her thoughts soon drifted to Trunks. How was he? Was he being fed? Was he hurt? But soon, she made herself stop thinking about his well-being. It would drive her mad if she continued, so she detoured her thoughts to happier things, like what they would do after he was back in her arms, safe and sound. She would take him anywhere his little heart desired, do anything he wanted, make whatever he wanted to eat. Hell! She'd let him eat candy for breakfast if he wanted.

But what about Vegeta?

It wasn't like he'd help save his son and then go back to living life as he had been before he knew Trunks existed.

What if he took him away from her?

Her eyes sprung open at the thought, but she made herself close them again. She needed to stop thinking of crazy scenarios for her own sanity.

"One thing at a time." She whispered, and soon, she was drifting off to sleep.  
===========================================================================================================  
6 Years Ago.

"What happened?" Her words were slurred as if she had one too many shots of whiskey.

A big hand pressed at her chest, overpowering her efforts of sitting up. "You collapsed." The deep, rough voice rumbled close to her. "Lay down."

Bulma blinked up at her partner. Her vision was blurry and it took a few moments to focus on the concerned face of Vegeta.

"Again?" She asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes." He responded curtly. He was worried, and it annoyed him that she was making him so. "You need to go down to med bay and get looked at. You could have contracted a virus or a parasite from one of our missions."

She groaned. She hated going to med bay.

"You will do as I say, Human." He pointed at her, making it clear he meant business.

Bulma crossed her arms and pouted, making sure her lower lip stuck out extra to get her point across. "But I don't wanna."

His brow rose up and his jaw muscle tensed, a sign his temper was rising.

"I don't have time to go. I have to get ready to go with you." She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring Vegeta's pissed glare. "There's no way in hell I'm not going. I want to be there when you kill King Cold."

Vegeta shook his head. "You aren't going." His tone was matter of fact.

"Vegeta, if you think that you're going to leave me behind, you've got ano-"

"NO!" He bellowed, slicing his arm through the air. "If you think I'M going to let you come with me while I battle one of the most powerful beings besides Frieza and Cooler after you've collapsed not once but twice in a one week period, YOU'VE got another thing coming!"

She looked down angrily at the dark carpet, and was surprised to feel tears well up in the corners of her eyes. Man, it took nothing now-a-days to get her all emotional.

She felt strong fingers under her chin lightly pull her head up to meet jet black eyes that mesmerized her each time she looked deep into them. "It's for your own good. I don't need to be saving your ass when I have King Cold trying to rip my spine out of my ass. There's something wrong with you. Get well so you can come to the main event: Frieza." He smirked at her. It wasn't his normal 'I'm better than you' smirk, but it was a smirk that he reserved for her. One that told her that he was hers and she was his.

She sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine."

"That's my weak human."

Bulma glared at him and punched him in the gut.

"Ooph. Bitch."

She smiled evilly up at him and gathered him into a hug.

She promised him she'd visit med bay after he left. There was no reason to waste time there when she could be spending time with him before his departure. He agreed, only because on missions like these, it was unknown if they'd see each other again and time spent together beforehand was precious.

They walked side by side to the common area of the base ship that they were docked on, where everybody gathered before they left on missions. It was where husbands, wives and children said their last goodbyes before Vegeta led the team to battle.

"You look like shit, and you're green in the face." He admonished and wrapped his muscled arm around her to keep her from falling face first. "Are you going to pass out again?"

She breathed in through her mouth and out through her nose to keep herself from doing just that. She shook her head slowly. "Nope. Not gonna do it." She cradled her uneasy stomach, protecting it from anything that might bump into it.

"Good, pass out when I leave so I don't have to deal with your bullshit."

She rolled her eyes, but refrained from spitting out a snide come back. She felt too crappy to think of one.

"Look," she halted, making him stop as well right before they entered the crowded area. There was a lot on her mind, besides feeling like shit, and she wanted to say it before they got lost in the chaos of pre-battle banter and goodbyes. "I…" she shook her head, as if trying to rid the shyness that came with the question she was about to ask.

"Out with it, Woman. I've got shit to do." He rumbled, annoyed.

She sighed deeply and then looked him square in the eye. "I want to be more than just…what ever I am to you." She motioned her hand back and forth from him to her. "We've been together for a long while, and trust me, I'm not one to spoil something that's already going good… you know, if it's not broke, don't fix it…" She rose an eyebrow up at him, trying to read if he was getting the gist, but the only thing she got from him was stoic indifference. "It's no secret that I love you, and you love me…in your own Saiyan kind of way. I know it, even though you refuse to say so, and you know it too."

His brow furrowed at her, but didn't deny it. He shifted his arms away from her and crossed them over his chest, silently telling her to go on.

Dizziness forgotten, she placed both hands on his thickly muscled shoulders and then ran both hands up his neck and to his face, cupping each side of his cheeks. "I want to be with you, forever."

Her look was intense, as was his. The silence between them was thick and it seemed as if they stood there in the quiet of the corridor for a long while until he lifted his chin and looked away from her. "You've been talking to the females on this ship way too much." He grumbled.

She pursed her lips, knowing she was guilty. "Yes…but that's not why we're having this conversation. I just recently found out about your Saiyan rituals. And I'm not saying we should have one, forever binding us in life and death…" She shrugged nonchalantly and smiled brightly when he glowered at her. "I'm just saying that I'd like to know what the future holds for us. I want to know that ten years from now, we'll be together, ritual or no."

Vegeta, still glowering at her, rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this. We'll discuss this when I get back." He then did an about face and started walking to where they were heading to in the first place.

Bulma, who wasn't fazed by his reaction, hurried to catch up to him. A small smile graced her lips. That conversation went better than she thought it would. He actually stood there and listened to her, and bonus! It seemed as if he was actually considering it.

The two of them had been together for a long time...two years to be exact. And even though the two of them really didn't make their relationship official, they didn't see other people, or sleep with anyone else. They did almost everything together…hell! They shared a room and kept the door open when they peed.They were in a relationship, whether they liked it or not.

And, like Bulma said, they loved each other. Bulma was much more vocal about her love for the Saiyan prince. He, on the other hand, not so much. Only in the throes of passion or when he was half asleep did he profess his love for her. And it was time, at least to Bulma it was, for them to make it official, she wanted to know that he was just as committed to her as she was to him. She knew that it would be a long shot to get him to marry her, but if she could at least get a verbal acknowledgement, it would mean the world to her. Because, if he said it out loud, that was just as good, if not better, than having the ceremony. Vegeta's word was binding.

An hour later, Vegeta and his team were gone, on their way to pick off the first Cold on their list and taking over the planets the tyrant King ruled over. Her lips still buzzed from the electric and passionate kiss he'd given her. He had grabbed her by the shirt and yanked her into him, making her squeak in surprise and kissed her as if his life depended on it.

She walked in a daze, as if on autopilot, all the way to med-bay.

"Hello Bulma." Ildsa, called out as she entered. "What brings you here today?" The medic asked. Ilda, who was an older female saiyan, was one of Bulma's favorites and was always relieved when she was working on the days when Vegeta was sent to spend time in the regen tanks. She always engaged Bulma in conversation and was sweet, unlike some of the Saiyans she knew.

"I haven't been feeling well lately."

"Oh? Is that all?" Ilda's black brow hiked up at her like her mother used to do when Bulma was withholding information.

Bulma growled. That son of a bitch blabbed. She sighed. "Vegeta already told you?"

Ilda smirked. "Yes, he did. He told me you've fainted twice and has been keeping him up at night, throwing up your dinner and probably your lunch and breakfast too."

Bulma's eyes widened. She thought he was asleep! That jerk! She couldn't keep anything from him, apparently.

"Come on, let's run a blood panel and see what's wrong with you and then get some medicine in your little body before you cause any more harm to it.

Ten vials of blood and two puke sessions later, Bulma sat in a chair with a cool rag on her forehead, watching Ilda survey the print outs to her blood panel.

"Hmm.." She murmured as her eyes flicked from one side of the paper to the other. "You don't have Lega fever, or the Shocks. Mmmm, nnnope, your clear of the Desha parasite…" She turned to the next page and continued reading. "You iron level is normal, white blood cell count is normal…you're not anemic-oh!" Ilda's eyes got large and then looked up at Bulma and them smiled and then back at the report.

"What?"

"Looks like you do have a parasite." She smiled again, but this time she snickered.

"A parasite? Why are you laughing?" Bulma tossed the wet rag on the floor and glared at her friend. "How do we get rid of it? Is there something I can take? What do I do?" She started to panic knowing a creepy crawly thing was floating around her body was starting to make her panic.

"Oh calm down." Ilda rolled her eyes. "It'll find it's way out of your body in about…" She looked at the report again. "eight months or so. You should start to feel better in the next few weeks." She again smiled and started to laugh again.

Bulma on the other hand didn't find this funny. "This isn't funny, Ilda. How did I get it?"

"Vegeta gave it to you."

"What?"

Ilda rolled her eyes. For a smart girl, she wasn't catching on. "You're pregnant, Bulma." She deadpanned. "You're due in a eight months or so. I wont know your exact due date until I run some more test."

That was the last thing Bulma remembered before she hit the floor.

After she regained consciousness and Ilda finally let her leave, Bulma made a bee-line to Zarbon, who was in the cafeteria, schmoozing it up with a rather good looking Saiyan male.

"Zarbon!" Bulma gulped breathlessly as she jogged up to the table he was sitting at.

"Well there she is." He smiled at her. "Just the girl I wanted to see."

Bulma gripped the table as a wave of dizziness hit her. She closed her eyes and willed the sensation away, she really didn't feel like throwing up all over her best friend and her best friend's potential flavor of the week. She wavered but found relief when she felt the strong arms of Zarbon wrap around her waist to steady her.

"Whoa now. Come on baby-girl, sit down before you pass out and crack your head open." He sat her down next to him gingerly, keeping his arms around her so she wouldn't fall off the chair. He then looked to the Saiyan he was woo'ing. "Do you mind if we continue this later?"

The hulking Saiyan stood and nodded. "Sure. You know where my room is."

Zarbon smirked. "I sure do." He winked and watched him walk away and then brought his attention back to Bulma.

"What's going on?"

Bulma, pinched the bridge of her nose, something she had adopted from Vegeta, and couldn't help the tears that started to run down her cheeks.

"Whoa, now!" Zarbon looked down at her, beautifully shaped brows furrowed with concern for his dearest friend. "What happened? Vegeta break up with you?"

Bulma shook her head. "No. I…" Her strained voice was shaky, from both dealing with feeling so very week and from the shocking news she had just found out. "I'm pregnant." She covered her face with her hands and started to sob. "I don't know how to process this information. I don't know whether to be elated or what!"

Zarbon quickly shook off the utterly shocked look on his face and brought her into a loving hug. "Oh Bulma." He comforted. "I think you should be elated. You and Vegeta are pretty much the most good looking people, I know…well, besides myself. You two will make the most adorable baby ever."

She giggled through her laugh and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You'll be just fine, Pussycat. You and Vegeta will do just fine."

Finally, feeling better, Bulma lifted her head off of Zarbon's shoulder and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. "You always know how to make me feel better." She smiled and hugged him again, sighing with relief when his arms encircled her, giving her a loving squeeze.

From the corner of the cafeteria, a soldier watched as his Prince's woman pressed herself up against the Aquayan. He snarled as she brought her lips up to his cheek to kiss him.

His prince would hear of her treachery.

Vegeta, still bloodied from the battle between he and King Cold, sat, staring at the fire blazing before him, ignoring the ruckus going on around him. His team of soldiers were celebrating their first victory. There were two very large animals on a spit, getting picked clean by soldiers passing by, and barrels upon barrels of ale strewn about which belonged to the dead King Cold, as the men and women drained them one by one and rejoiced in their victory.

The happiness of his victory was dwarfed by the news of Bulma's deceit. He was always suspicious of Zarbon's intentions. Always. But he never thought that Bulma would do such a thing. His fists tightened and untightened in balls of furious fists as he tried to keep his rage in check. He had received a hail from a soldier who was on base. He reported to him right before the battle began that his very own Bulma was seen making out with the Aquayan. His anger helped his cause though. Anybody who got in his way had paid dearly with their lives as did King Cold. The battle was almost not fair…

And to think, the woman wanted commitment! She probably wanted it because of who he was. If he agreed to her wishes, she'd reap the perks of being with the Prince… not that she hadn't already. But if he were to make it official, she'd be royalty. And who wouldn't want to be royalty?

It wasn't a lie; he did care for her. A lot… Ok, he loved her. And for her to take his love and metaphorically shit on it and betray him, made him want to kill some more.

He all the sudden felt claustrophobic… as if he was stuck in a small box and it was shrinking by the second.

He shook his head, not letting himself go further down the road of self pity; He was the Prince of all Saiyans. The most powerful being in the universe! And the Prince of Saiyans could do what he wants when he wants. The need for revenge started to grow stronger…And even though thinking about being with another woman other than his made his stomach churn, he had to do it…for revenges sake.

He grabbed the ale that one of his soldiers passed to him and chugged, grabbing for a second one before he finished the first. He repeated the process until his vision was fuzzy and a small smile grew on his face.

"Congrats, Prince Vegeta," an equally drunken woman purred. She sat next to the prince and handed him another ale, filled to the brim.

He grunted at her and swigged the drink down sloppily, which earned him a sultry smile.

"Where is Bulma? I didn't see her when we landed."

He now recognized the female as Roxy, a soldier who had flirted with him many times before, but her attempts were always thwarted by Bulma. "Useless Human." He spat into his mug. "She back at base, probably screwing the Aquayan as we speak."

Roxy's brows perked up and her beautiful face brightened at the news. "Oh?"

Vegeta snickered, not exactly sure why he thought it was funny.

Roxy scooted closer to him until they were side by side and no gap between them. "Well then, I guess it's time to find another female to fulfill your manly urges."

Vegeta's head slowly turned to face Roxy's. She bit her lip and intentionally stared at his lips, begging for him kiss her. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking just that before you sat here." He said, smirking.

"Mmm, well I guess this was meant to be." Her hand slithered slowly over her breast plate and licked her lips when his eyes followed her hand. She slowly slid it down her arm and then to his exposed bicep and over his breast plate. "I can remedy that, my prince."

"Can you now?"

She nodded playfully as her hand continued downward until it stopped at the hardened bulge in his crotch.

He smiled stupidly at her and brought her in for a kiss.

He was glad nothing went further with Roxy than making out and maybe a little heavy petting. The two were too drunk to do anything strenuous and passed out in the dirt where they were sitting.

As they readied their ship to make the short journey home, he thanked himself for passing out, even though it was involuntary. He didn't want to know how he would have felt the morning after he the two of them did do the deed.

The crowd hooted and hollered when the ship docked. The base had been a twenty four hour party fest since they received word that Vegeta had defeated King Cold and his men had obliterated Cold's soldiers.

Bulma was beyond relieved, yet so very, very nervous for Vegeta's home coming. She was still reeling in the fact that she was pregnant, and wasn't sure how Vegeta was going to take it. She bounced up and down, her nerves at fault, as she waited for Vegeta to emerge from the ship.

And when he did, her heart skipped a beat. She felt as if she hadn't seen him in months and couldn't wait to run to him and kiss him all over. She started clapping along with the others when he lifted a fist into the air in triumph and let out a battle cry of victory.

That's when the world stopped for Bulma.

Roxy emerged from the ship and slithered her way to Vegeta's side, grabbing him by his armor, taking him by surprise and kissing him. It wasn't a peck on the cheek either. No, no. It was full on tongue in mouth, and to make things worse, Vegeta's arm curled around her waist. It wasn't until everybody was silent and all eyes were on her that she realized she'd had screamed so loud that it made everybody pause in shock. The sea of people parted, so Bulma's view of Vegeta and Roxy was clear.

She was panting heavily and she could feel her body want to collapse and slip into a deep sleep, thanks to her little parasite. But she stayed strong and forced herself to stay upright.

She was at a loss for words. She blinked back tears that were forming and wordlessly walked away, leaving a stunned Vegeta in the midst.

She wasn't sure who threw the first piece of furniture… every time he'd advance towards her, she'd back away and grab a new piece and chuck it at him. None of them hit him, he'd just deflect them, sending them crashing into the wall.

"You disgust me!" She screamed. "I trusted you! How long have you been fucking other women behind my back!"

He bared his teeth at her. "I didn't fuck anybody."

She shook her head, whipping her unruly hair, making her look like an insane woman. "Don't lie to me! I saw you! GAH!" She couldn't help it anymore, the tears she was trying to hold back were winning the battle and were now free, flowing down her cheeks. "You are lying bastard, and I am sorry that I wasted so much time, energy and love on you."

Vegeta's fists tightened at his sides. "You are not innocent, Woman! Why don't you tell me what you were doing while I was risking my life?"

Bulma shook her head in confusion. "I spent most of my time in med-bay, jackass."

Vegeta sneered. "Right." He drawled sarcastically. "The only thing I'm guilty of is kissing her and copping a feel. That's it. Which is probably less than what you and your Aquayan have been doing for Gods knows how long!"

"Zarbon and I aren't fucking each other you blind oaf! And only kissing and copping a feel? That's almost worse!" She walked over to him and shoved him as hard as she could.

He stumbled back a step and growled at her. "You will stop acting a fool, now. You are acting like a child, throwing a temper tantrum! I merely returned the favor." He sneered fiercely down at her.

Words escaped her.

She grabbed an unopened bottle of wine, one that they were saving for when he defeated Frieza. "I don't want to see your ugly mug ever again!" She chucked it, aiming for his head. He ducked, and the bottle sailed over his head and smashed into the wall behind him, making the blood red wine splatter everywhere. "I'm leaving!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Good! I've got better shit to do than to deal with a weak minded bitch like you."

She flinched as if his words had caused her pain.

Bulma locked her jaw to stave the news of her pregnancy from erupting out of her throat and pointed her nose in the air. She silently grabbed her beloved sword and exited with as much dignity as she could muster.

It would be six years before they saw each other again.  
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beta'd by: Springandbysummerfall


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